There is a fear and, with some, an outright refusal to address the evils people in this country have exacted on others in the past and continue to do so to this day. There are systems in place to keep people where they are, and only a select few get to rise to a position of power and comfort. It’s always been this way, it’s still this way, and those in power wonder why the downtrodden fight back with such ferocity and violence when injustice strikes yet again.
Bull of Apis Bull of Bronze have been upfront from the start about their identity as an occult ritualistic black metal band that fights in the face of injustice and abhors the capitalistic society in which we’re entrenched. On their devastating second full-length “The Fractal Ouroboros,” the band—vocalist/synth player Achaierai, guitarist/bassist/synth player Athshean, drummer Yaeth—exposes the ugly roots of colonialism, the oppression of capitalism, the violence enacted against indigenous people, and the hard truths we must face in order to make real changes in the world in which we live. They do this over seven crushing tracks that stretch over 75 minutes that are thrilling, violent, and dripping with anger. They act as a vessel to help create a place that’s more equitable for all humans and help bridge the gap separating us so hopelessly.
“Trophy” opens in a thick drone, spiritual drumming reverberating, then the track igniting as wild shrieks hammer like baseball-sized hail. The playing is tornadic, which is something that is a sonic blueprint that’s built into most of the songs on here. Melodic fire and devastation meet, and then the pace calms, drums tapping, colder winds chilling. Just as the tingling sets in, the stormfront engulfs anew, and everything begins to race time, gutting explosions firing, a daring, frothy finish leaving your heart throbbing. “A History of Cages and Broken Bones” lands in cosmic noise, guitars taking imaginative turns, everything slowly catching fire and then gushing. The pressure is there in force, as is an atmospheric heaviness, shrieks shaking guts before the music melts into a foggy dream. The playing trickles down rock, pooling beneath, flowing into split and shattered dreams. “Suffocate o Earthen Lungs; They Now Lungs of Ash” explodes with ripping guitars and shrieks ablaze, decimating the senses, lowering into wrenching hell. A storming tempo ignites as the howls scathe, turning madness into a freezing front, spitting electricity as the playing swirls around your head, robbing you of breath. The shrieks do ample damage before the pressure begins to pull back, gently flowing over the land, only to be absorbed by the earth.
“Annihilation” basks in eerie sounds, astral notes falling from the sky, slowly coming to life as whispers intensify, the strangeness looping through eons. The burst we expect comes as the playing wrenches, and while some of what’s going on can chill your brain, there’s brutality at every turn. The playing blasts hard as the shrieks maim, lashing and torching, sinking in sharp teeth before the intensity finally relents and fades. “Liberation Ritual” echoes with crackling fires, drums vibrating in your brain, spoken chants adding a spiritual element. Throat calls send chills and get into your blood, increasing the hypnosis as Achaierai calls, “As light, our chains fall away.” “Our Overt Apocalypse” is the second-longest track at a beefy 13:31, slipping into drone and disorienting sounds, continuing to add to the mental fog that’s pierced with crazed shrieks. From there, it’s a fiery assault, guitars driving, the playing slipping into miasma, blistering and creating immersive atmosphere. Spellbinding leads corkscrew, and noise filters as we enter an extended descension, bleeding out into an infectious haze. The record ends with the longest cut, the 15:57-long “Ekstasis, Enstasis, and the Fractal Ouroboros” that scrapes with a giant gust of energy. The playing is sudden and forceful, wrecking with soaring chaos, the speaking making your flesh crawl. Darkness falls as the anger bursts, leading to a volcanic pace that wrecks everything in its path, managing to make you feel feverish while withstanding the attack. There are gasps of calm as the drums patter, noise hovers, and the spirit makes a strange exit into hypnosis.
Bull of Apis Bull of Bronze create experiences more than mere records, which they do again on “The Fractal Ouroboros,” a stunning display that will leave you fulfilled and exhausted. The band makes a brutal, blunt excursion through some of the pure evils of this world, and this country especially, though they leave open that window for change where people need to recognize what’s wrong and make meaningful adjustments. That’s one of the areas where this record defies simply being a collection of songs; it’s a reminder of our past, a damnation of our present, and a call to action to make the future one in which the power structure dies for the good of us all.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/BullOfApisCO/
To buy the album, go here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/album/the-fractal-ouroboros
Or here: https://vitadetestabilisrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-fractal-ouroboros
For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/fiadhproductions
Meat Mead Metal 